Positive solutions for an \(n\)th-order quasilinear boundary value problem (Q2342960)

The author considers the class of boundary value problems \[ \begin{aligned} -(\varphi(u^{(n-1)}))'=f(t,u)\quad\text{ for } a.e. \, t\in [0,1],\\ u^{(i)}(0)=u^{(n-1)}(1)=0,\;i=0,1,\cdots, n-2, \end{aligned} \] where \(n\geq 2\), \(\varphi: \mathbb{R}^+\rightarrow \mathbb{R}^+\) is either a convex or concave homeomorphism, and \(f\in C([0,1]\times \mathbb{R}^+, \mathbb{R}^+)\). Based on a priori estimates achieved by utilizing Jensen's inequalities for concave and convex functions and the fixed point index theory, he establishes the existence and multiplicity of positive solutions of the \(n\)th-order quasilinear boundary value problem. This is an extension of general \(p\)-Laplacian boundary value problems to higher-order semilinear boundary value problems.